KPD Officer Who Shot Jacob Blake Reinstated; Blake Family Reacts

Apr. 13, 2021 4:15p; Updated 11:15p

(WGTD)---The family of Jacob Blake is reacting to news that the police officer who shot Blake in the back and side seven times last summer, sparking an outcry that led to violence and destruction, has been reinstated with no discipline.

Blake's uncle, Justin Blake, said in a statement Tuesday evening that the decision to put Rusten Sheskey back on the streets isn't just a slap in the face--it's seven shots in the back of every Black and brown person in Kenosha. He said unspecified actions are being planned in response to the announcement.

In a statement, Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis said there's no reason to impose discipline against Sheskey, saying he was following his training and department policy. 

But Justin Blake called some of those policies outdated, and have led to what he called a racist culture of policing.

Sheskey had been on administrative leave since the August shooting that left Jacob Blake partially paralyzed. Sheskey and two other officers were dispatched to the scene after the mother of Blake's children called police to report a disturbance. 

Earlier this year, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley declined to file criminal charges against Sheskey. 

Civil suits are now in the courts.

The results of a U.S. Attorney's office investigation into whether any civil rights were violated have yet to be released. 

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